Sara McMann Won’t Get Chance At Revenge Against Ronda Rousey, After All

Sara McMann said last week that she was ready for a second shot at Ronda Rousey, but following a brutal fight against Amanda Nunes over the weekend, it looks like she won’t get her chance anytime soon.

McMann spoke with FOX Sports last week about her desire to take on Rousey again after their last fight was stopped, saying she thinks the ref stopped things too early after Rousey’s knee connected hard on her.

“Any time I lose, I want revenge. I want to avenge the loss, I want to go back and show I’m better than the person. I feel that towards Miesha and Ronda, but obviously the one with Ronda, that was even more controversial stoppage, so I would like that one to be first,” Sara McMann said. “I know the fighter I am. Considering the fact that it was stopped after a minute and six seconds, that didn’t show the fighter that I am.”

But Sara won’t be getting a second shot at Rousey, at least not in an upcoming match. During UFC Fight Night 73 in Nashville on Saturday, a hard-fought battle ended with Amanda Nunes as the victor, and, as with most UFC fighters, Nunes is eager to take on Rousey as well.

“Everybody thinks of me as weak on the ground, but my background is jiu-jitsu and judo. I love the striking, but I come from grappling. The champion has a fight coming up, maybe I’m next… I’m ready,” Nunes told reporters after the match.

McMann isn’t the only fighter desperate for another shot at the undefeated Rousey; Miesha Tate has said for months that she’s ready to go up against Ronda a third time in order to prove herself.

“I could never give up on myself. That would be sad. Especially if you’re a role model like I want to be for others. How could I tell others not to give up on themselves if I gave up on myself? You pick yourself up, learn more, get better and try again. As for this fight, I think Ronda brings out the best in me. I feel as though I learn every time we fight. I think the third time will be the charm,” Tate told Fox Sports.

Sara McMann says she thinks she’ll eventually be able to “dethrone” Rousey, and that she’s not the only one who believes it.

“Even to this day, people keep coming up to me and they’re like, ‘That fight was stopped too soon.’ I’m just sitting and eating lunch and people are like, ‘You should be in there; you’re the one that’s going to beat Ronda.’ I was like, ‘I think so, too.’ That is exactly how I feel. I think I’m the one that’s going to dethrone her.”

[Photo by Steve Marcus/Getty Images]